Evaporative cooler pad construction



April 23, 1963 A. D. GOETTI.v 3,086,759 EVAPORATIVE COOLER PAD CONSTRUCTION Filed April 23. 1959 INVENTOR. OHM 605771.

AGENT United States Patent 3,086 759 EVAPORATIVE COOLER? PAD CONSTRUCTION Adam D. Goettl, Phoenix, Ariz., assignor to McGraw- Edison Company, Elgin, Ill., a corporation of Dela- Ware Filed Apr. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 808,451 5 Claims. (Cl. 261-97) This invention relates to an evaporative cooler pad construction and more particularly to an evaporative cooler pad construction wherein a separator is interposed between evaporative cooler pad layers for the purpose of controlling the water ow through the pad construction and the prevention of undesirable wetting of one of the pad layers.

In the construction of conventional evaporative cooler pads a layer of wood excelsior is backed by a contiguous layer of glass bers which are coated with materials such as heavy viscous oil. When these pad layers are in a contiguous relationship to each other and air is forced therethrough while water drains vertically through the pad the flow of air carries water from the layer of excelsior into the layer of glass iibers and tends to wash the protective coating from the glass libers. When the coating is washed away from the fibers the dust catching utility of the glass liber layer is reduced. When the coating is, thus removed from the glass libers dust may pass from the excelsior pad through the glass liber pad during initial operation of the evaporative cooler before the pad structure is wet.

Another difficulty with conventional evaporative cooler pad structures is that water introduced at the upper portions of the pads tends to establish certain liow paths which cause the concentra-tion of water flow in some areas of the pad and cause other areas of the pad to become relatively dry. This condition is due in part to air ow through the pad transversely of the liow of water which is induced by gravity. Such ow of air tends to force the Water toward one side of the pad whereupon fthe water collects in an area adjacent one side of the pad or may collect in an adjacent layer of glass fibers of the pad.

Accordingly, it is an yobject of the present invention to provide an evaporative cooler pad construction wherein a foraminous separator is interposed between adjacent layers of an evaporative pad in order to provide more efficient Water llow through the pad and to prevent undue ow of water from the excelsior layer of the pad into a glass liber layer adjacent thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide an evapo- -rative cooler pad construction wherein a separator is provided with inclined lingers which return water to an evaporative cooler pad in an up stream direction relative to -air flowing therethrough thereby increasing the eliciency of the pad.

Another object of the invention is to provide an evaporative cooler pad construction wherein Ia separator is provided with inclined fingers projecting into a cooler pad on an incline to thereby prevent the flow of water from separating into concentrated paths through the pad whereby elcient uniform wetting of the pad is maintained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cooler pad construction wherein a separator drains water away from a liber glass layer of the pad and returns it to an excelsior layer of the pad thereby minimizing the tendency of the water to remove the dust collecting coating normally contained on 'the liber glass layer of the pad.

Another object of the invention is to provide `a cooler pad construction wherein a foraminous separator is disposed between adjacent layers of an evaporative cooler pad and wherein said separator is provided with inclined lingers directed upwardly in one of said layers at one side of said separator and fingers are directed from the oppoice site side of said separator downwardly into the other pad whereby water readily liows on the inclined lingers from one pad to the other pad.

Another object of the invention is to provide an evaporative cooler pad construction wherein a separator member is provided with lingers extending on an incline from opposite sides thereof and wherein these lingers are connected with the separator at the juncture of downwardly converging structures which outline openings through the separator whereby water which is transferred from lingers at one side of the separator pass downwardly through the juncture of the converging structure of the separator to the downwardly inclined lingers :at the opposite side of the separator.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the Ifollowing specilication, appended claims and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view of an evaporative cooler pad constructure in accordance with the present invention, and showing a separa-tor between adjacent evaporative cooler pad layers.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the cooler pad separator taken from the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 'and omitting the evaporative cooler pads as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken from the line 3 3 of FIG. l showing details of the separator and inclined lingers and omitting a disclosure of the evaporative cooler pads as shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary, sectional view taken on the same plane as that shown in FIG. 1 but illustrating the flow of water relative to the lingers of the separator and within the evaporative cooler pads.

As shown in FIG. 1 the evaporative cooler pad construction of the present invention includes -a lirst pad layer 10 and a second pad layer 12 and a separator 14 disposed between the pad layers. 'Ihe rst pad layer 10 is preferably made of Wood eXcelsior or other equivalent material while the second pad layer 12 is made o-f glass fibers or other equivalent material. These fibers in the pad layer 12 are line iilamentary elements disposed close together so that they may collect dusts, insects or other material which might pass through the more open structure of the eXcelsior pad 19. The filament structures of the pad layer 12 are coated with a heavy viscous oil so that dust will be collected by the pad llayer 12 when the cooler is operated for ventilation purposes without water in the pad layer 10.

In normal operation of the evaporative cooler pad construction shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings air passes through the pad construction as indicated by the arrows A while water is introduced into the pad layer 10 at the upper extremity thereof and tends to gravitate downwardly through the pad layer 10. As the water travels downwardly through the pad layer 10 the air liow in a substantially horizontal direction causes the water to move toward the separator or foraminous means 14 as indicated by arrows B. The separator 14 may be made of any suitable material as desired however the particular construction shown herein as an example of the invention is preferably made of plastic by an injection molding process. This separator 14 is constructed in the form of a grid wherein a plurality of bar portions 16 intersect other bar portions 18 at right angles toreach other and these grid structures are so arranged that the bar portions 14 and 18 converge downwardly to the intersecting portions thereby providing openings bounded by downwardly diverging and converging bar portions as shown best in FIG. 2 of the drawings. At the junctures of the downwardly converging bars or at the intersections thereof are lingers 20 which are integral at said juncture with the separator and which project downwardly and on au incline into the pad layer 10.

Similar fingers 22 project on an incline upwardly into the pad layer 12 from the opposite side of the separator 14 and these fingers 22 are integral with the separator 14 at common junctures with the lingers 20. It will be seen that the fingers 22 are disposed on an incline in the pad layer 12 and are directed downwardly toward the separator 14 and that the ngers 20 extend downwardly on an incline from the opposite side of the separator 14 into the pad layer so that water may be conveyed from the interior of the pad layer 12 downwardly and inwardly of the pad layer 12 toward the direction from air flows as indicated by the arrows A.

Since the lingers are arranged in staggered relationship as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings and are relatively close together they establish very closely related flow pads for the water thereby providing the uniform distribution of the water in .the pad and also provide for the return of the water from the separator 14 to an inner portion of the pad layer 10 at the ends of the fingers 20 all as will be hereinafter described in detail in connection with the disclosure of FIG. 4 of the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings each finger 20 extends downwardly and inwardly of the pad layer 10 ou an incline and water which drains downwardly through the pad as indicated by the arrows B contacts the upper trough shaped surface 24 of each finger 20 and passes downwardly to the end 26 of each finger 20 whereupon the water passes from the end thereof into the middle por-tion of the pad layer 10 and again tends to gravitate downwardly therethrough. Since the water moves on `an angle as indicated by the arrow B the next successively lower finger receives the water at an intermediate portion thereof and conducts it to the end 26 of the respective finger. In this fashion water is continually returned from the rear of the pad `layer 10 to the interior thereof. Concurrently any small amount of water which passes through the separator 14 toward the pad layer 12 is collected on the fingers 22 at their upper trough portions 28 which carry the water downwardly to a position intermediate the converging bars 16 and 18 which coincide with the trough portion 24 of each of the respective lingers 20. Thus, the water may travel from the extremity of each finger 22 to the lower end 26 of each finger 20. Additionally, drops of water C will travel down the lower surfaces of the fingers 22 and 20 to the end 26 of each finger 20.

Water which drips from the lower surface of each juncture of the bar 16 and 18 will be caught in the next lower juncture and will be carried off by the respective iinger 20 to its lower extremity 26 and thereby returned to the middle portion of the pad vlayer 10.

The drainback function of the separator 14 prevents an excessive amount of water from washing the iilaments of the pads 12 and thereby protects the pad 12 so that the water does not wash a substantial amount of the coating material from the filaments of the pad layer 12.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the separator also serves to maintain a uniform wetting of the pad 10 throughout its vertical area due to the fact that the closely distributed fingers 20 in their staggered relationship to each other completely break up concentrated ow paths of water in the pad and distribute the water evenly throughout the entire pad area. Furthermore, the back flow function obtained by the fingers 20 recirculates the water backwardly from the rear side of the pad into the middle portion of the pad thereby requiring less initial flow of the water to supply the upper portion of the pad.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications of the invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

l. In an evaporative cooler pad construction the combination of: first and second pad layers; and a forminous separator therebetween; water distributor fingers carried by and projecting from said separator and into both of said pad layers.

2. In an evaporative cooler pad construction the combination of: first and second pad layers disposed to receive a stream of air laterally therethrough in a direction from said first pad layer to said second pad layer; a foraminous separator between said pad layers; first water distributor fingers on said separator inclined downwardly therefrom and projecting into said first pad layer and second water distributor fingers projecting upwardly from said separator on an incline into said second pad layer.

3. In an evaporative cooler pad construction the combination of: first and second pad layers disposed to receive a stream of air laterally therethrough in a direction from said first pad layer to said second pad layer; a foraminous separator between said pad layers; first water distributor fingers on said separator inclined downwardly therefrom and projecting into said first pad layer; and second water distributor lingers projecting upwardly from said separator on an incline into said second pad layer, said separator having upper sections of downwardly diverging bars and integral lower sections of downwardly converging bars yforming openings between the upper and lower sections, said fingers connected to said separator at the junctures of said downwardly diverging and downwardly converging bars.

4. In an evaporative cooler pad construction the combination of: rst and second pad layers disposed to receive a stream of air laterally therethrough in a direction from said first pad layer to said second pad layer; a foraminous separator between said pad layers; first water distributor fingers on said separator inclined downwardly therefrom and projecting into said first pad layer; and second water distributor fingers projecting upwardly from said separator on an incline into said second pad layer, said separator having upper sections of downwardly diverging bars and integral lower sections of downwardly converging bars forming openings between the upper and lower sections, said fingers connected to said separator at the junctures of said downwardly diverging and downwardly converging bars, said ngers trough shaped.

5. In an evaporative cooler pad construction the combination of: an evaporative cooler pad having an air inlet side and an air outlet side; a foraminous means contiguous thereto; inclined fingers carried by and projecting from said foraminous means into said pad and downwardly therein toward said air inlet side; and structure of said foraminous means comprising integral junctures of downwardly diverging and downwardly converging portions, said lingers disposed at said junctures to receive water which drains downwardly on said downwardly converging portions and water which drains downwardly through said pad.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,171,566 Wolforsdorf Feb. 15, 1916 2,561,592 Palmer July 24, 1951 2,608,396 Shapiro Aug. 26, 1952 2,637,540 Rowe May 5, 1953 2,639,130 Heere May 19, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 604,417 Germany Oct. 20, 1934 

1. IN AN EVAPORATIVE COOLER PAD CONSTRUCTION THE COMBINATION OF: FIRST AND SECOND PAD LAYERS; AND A FORMINOUS SEPARATOR THEREBETWEEN; WATER DISTRIBUTOR FINGERS CARRIED BY AND PROJECTING FROM SAID SEPARATOR AND INTO BOTH OF SAID PAD LAYERS. 